South Los Angeles artists are invited to submit their artwork for a chance to win $1,000!
The Leimert Park Jazz Festival Art Competition is seeking South Los Angeles artists to capture the vibrant jazz music and culture of historic Leimert Park. The winner will be recognized as the official visual artist of the 2021 Leimert Park Jazz Festival and will be awarded a $1,000 cash prize.
To enter, artists must be 18 years of age or older and submit a newly created original, two-dimensional artwork on canvas. The subject matter must visually depict jazz music, jazz culture, and the vibrancy of Leimert Park. Art submissions are due by Friday, July 16, 2021, no later than 11:59PM.
Artists should submit their work via the form at this link: http://tinyurl.com/LPJFArt2021
This year’s esteemed panel of judges are: Aziz Diagne, Artist and Gallery Owner; Ben Caldwell,
Owner, KAOS Network; Todd Hawkins, board president, California African American Museum (CAAM); and Wendell Wiggins, winner of last year’s inaugural art competition. The judges will choose three finalists; the winner will be chosen by a community vote on social media.
“I was fortunate to have my artwork selected by the voting community last year as the first to represent the Leimert Park Jazz Festival,” Wiggins said. “I still receive congratulatory messages, and I have been offered many opportunities to create for numerous other organizations due to my participation. Last year’s events were spectacular, so I am very honored to contribute once again as part of the team that will help to select the future winner of this year’s competition.”
“I’m delighted and excited to be a judge in the Leimert Park Jazz Festival’s 2nd Annual Art Competition,” Hawkins said. “I believe in the importance of not only celebrating local artists but also uplifting and amplifying their incredible work for greater visibility and appreciation.”
The historic Leimert Park community in South L.A. is a culturally rich neighborhood and, for decades, has served as the center of African American art, music and culture in Los Angeles. Highly regarded arts institutions such as The World Stage Performance Gallery, The Vision Theatre, Barbara Morrison Center for the Performing Arts, KAOS Network, Fernando Pullum Community Arts Center, and Art + Practice make their home in Leimert Park.
“The Leimert Park Jazz Festival is a celebration of jazz, community, and the cultural heritage of Leimert Park,” said the festival’s Executive Producer, Diane Robertson. “The art competition is a great complement to the festival and is perfectly aligned with the community’s history of creative arts in Los Angeles. I am thrilled to offer this competition as a platform for local artists and a way to highlight the immense talent in our community. I envision the festival and the art competition playing an important role in ensuring this vibrant community remains culturally significant for years to come.”
The 2021 Leimert Park Jazz Festival will be held on Saturday, August 28 at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza. Doors open at 2 PM, performances begin at 3 PM and end at 8 PM.
The festival is executive produced by Robertson in association with Dwight Trible and The World Stage. The festival grew out of the Sutro Avenue Summer Soiree, an annual community block party that began in 2015 on a residential street in Leimert Park. A jazz stage was added to the Soiree in 2018 and 2019, and the event was rebranded as the Leimert Park Jazz Festival in 2020. Its mission is to build and strengthen community while celebrating and showcasing the artistic and cultural spirit of the historic Leimert Park neighborhood in South Los Angeles. The live event brings together a culturally diverse, family-friendly audience to enjoy a fun-filled day with a community resource zone, health & wellness zone, kids’ zone, food truck zone, dance, art, and, of course, outstanding live jazz from local and world-renowned musicians.
For more information and updates about the festival, join the mailing list at www.leimertparkjazzfestival.com and follow the festival on Facebook and Instagram @leimertparkjazzfestival.
